Glenn Rolfe Talks Inspiration and Destination of ‘The Haunted Halls’

Glenn Rolfe’s first installment of his serial novel, The Haunted Halls produced some vivid imagery and a uniquely violent take on the age-old haunted house theme. Toss in a memorable villainess and we’re talking about a ghost tale that veers from the norm and smacks readers in the face with non-stop chaos and visceral action.

Having just reviewed the story myself, I was left with a few lingering questions. How many pieces of this story will we see land online before the tale’s been told in its entirety? What birthed the idea for this ice cold (pun intended, but you know that if you’ve read the first piece of the story) spin on the supernatural/paranormal?

Glenn was happy to share some thoughts with us, providing a bit of background on The Haunted Halls. In regards to the serial format, Rolfe confesses, “Obviously I stole the idea from Stephen King. I remember when he originally released The Green Mile in 6 segments- that was really cool, and it really resonated with me. I got the idea for the story while I was working (I actually work at a hotel in Augusta, Maine). I walked by our indoor pool on my way to the restroom and sort of imagined the whole prologue in my head. I got home that night, and started writing.”

Knowing there are some personal connections to the story and its conception comes as no surprise. The story has a very organic feel to it, and I’d imagine working in a hotel probably inspires some wildly imaginative scenarios, plenty leaning toward darkness. Glenn captured those visions, and delivered big.

As for future plans, and whether or not we’ll see the final product delivered in paperback, Glenn told us the following, “I’m going to be releasing it the e versions only, until its conclusion. I’m aiming at every other month, 6 Volumes in total. I do plan on releasing it in paperback, but that won’t be until January/February of 2014. I flirted with the idea of releasing each volume in paperback, but being an unknown, it really seems like a lot to ask of people. The e world is cheap and easy to use, so I’ll stay on that track.”

Those sound like words of wisdom from a very promising writer, with a crafty style and just… genuinely likeable prose. The only question remaining on my end is, where are we heading here? The first segment is so unbelievably animalistic, it makes one wonder: can subsequent releases match the intensity of the first book?

Better yet, what of the dreaded Ice Queen, the beast with a knack for human destruction? And while we’re at it, it’s tough not to wonder: will anyone survive this tale long enough to endear themselves to readers? Thus far, it looks as though the bodies are going to hit the floor, regularly. But Glenn’s got some reasonable answers, noting that, “without giving away too much, there is definitely going to be more looks into the “ice queen” and her past. There are so many characters here that I had a lot of room to play with. The tricky part is keeping the pace of the story up to where the reader has to know what’s coming next. In the upcoming volumes, I will dig a little deeper into the characters, and raise a whole lot more hell.”

The future of The Haunted Halls looks remarkably promising (I do believe that might qualify as an oxymoron), with more character exploration and a closer examination of the Ice Queen in store. Personally, I can’t wait for part two!